


Closer to you

by yurichan02



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette April, Adrinette April 2020, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23479690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yurichan02/pseuds/yurichan02
Summary: After the Love Eater event, Adrien begins to notice that Marinette has distanced from him. He'll do anything to get closer to her again.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 38
Kudos: 212





	1. 1. Pranks

1\. Pranks

Adrien couldn't help but watch Marinette laugh at something the girls in her group tells her about. After Love Eater's event, he noticed that Marinette became more distant towards him, whenever he greeted her at school, she just gave him a small smile and walked away without saying a word or avoided him as though he were the plague. He couldn't help but wonder if he did or said something to her that day that made her leave both Kagami and him alone.

Dude, would you stop staring at Marinette? "Adrien almost jumped out from the bench, forgetting that he had been sitting next to Nino.

"I wasn't staring at Marinette," Adrien muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Nino gave him a flat look, "Don't look like that to me, dude, just go talk to her."  
Adrien sighs, "I tried Nino, but she just avoids me whenever I try to talk to her."

Nino shrugged, "You're going to have to find a way for her not to run away from you."

"That's it! "Adrien explained that he got up from the bench and grabbed his school bag.

"Where are you going now? "Text me when Marinette heads to the locker room! "Adrien yelled as he ran to the locker room, while Nino just shook his head.

Adrien hid behind a set of lockers, waiting for Marinette to walk in. He stood still and quiet as he could, but after waiting for five minutes, he began to wonder if he was going to have to find another way to talk to Marinette privately. As he was about to leave the room, he received a text message from Nino that Marinette was going to the locker room.  
Adrien responded quickly with thanks, put his phone back in his pocket, and went back to hide behind a set of lockers. He heard the door of the locker room open, and the footsteps were coming toward him. Marinette put her backpack in her locker and grabbed everything she needed for her first class of the day. When she closed her locker, Adrien thought it was the perfect time for him to go out and chat.

“Hey, Marinette!” Adrien spoke and was taken aback, as she screamed and jumped at least ten feet from the ground.

"A-Adrien, huh? You've got to stop doing that!"  
He chuckled at her, “I’m sorry Marinette, I didn’t mean to scare you, but you have to admit it was kind of funny,"

“It wasn’t funny!” says Marinette as she turned away from him

“Sorry, it's just… I wanted to ask you something.”

“Me?”

"I was wondering if you'd like to come over and play Ultimate Mecha Strike Three this Friday? ”

Marinette frowned, “I...I can’t… I already made plans with Luka on that day.”  
His smile fell, “Oh, I see.”

“You should ask Kagami, I’m sure she would like to spend time with you,” said Marinette as she gave him a small smile.

“Yeah… I could ask her.”

“We should start heading to class, the bell is going to ring soon” said Marinette as she walked towards the door.

“Are you mad at me?”

She looked at him with confusion,“What?”

"It's just ... you've been avoiding me, and I feel like I may have done something to make you upset with me.

Marinette sighs, "I assure you Adrien I'm not upset with you. I'm just going through some stuff.

“Is it something I can help you with?”

Marinette shook her head, “I’m afraid not.”

“I see… If you ever need anyone to help you can always come to me.

"Thank you, Adrien, but whatever I’m going through I think I can handle it just fine."


	2. 2. #marinettechallange.

"This is such a disaster!” Marinette groaned as she laid on her chaise, As the class started that morning, Mrs. Bustier told the students that they were going to the Grévin Museum as a field trip and her partner on the field trip will be Adrien, the very last person she wanted to spend the entire day with.

"It's not going to be that bad! I mean sure you're partnering with the boy you used to be in love with on a field trip, but I'm sure you're going to be able to make it through, "said Alya as she tried to console Marinette.

"I’m trying to move on from him not falling in love with him again."

"So just concentrate on being a friend to him," Alya suggests as she starts walking around Marinette's room. She recalled the day when she was scrolling through her Instagram, and came across her best friend posted a photo of herself looking sad, and Alya realized instantly that something had happened between her and Adrien. When Alya and the girls went to Marinette's house to make her feel better, they didn't want to pressure her as to what made her upset, instead they decided it would be best to have a movie marathon which cheered Marinette a little bit. When the rest of the girls went home, Marinette broke down in front of Alya and told her all that had happened between her, Adrien, and Kagami. After a few sobs, blowing tissues, and eating a bowl of ice cream, Alya helped Marinette to remove the schedule board and Adrien's modeling pictures from her wall, replacing them with other fashion models and photographs of her classmates.

"You took down the picture of you and Adrien sleeping together on the StarTrain," Alya said as she stared at the empty space on the wall.

"Oh yeah, I thought the photo was going to send the wrong impression," Marinette answered as she looked up at Alya.

"The wrong impression? "Alya asked while raising a brow.

Marinette nodded, "I don't want Kagami to think that there was something between us or that I still have feelings for him, plus Adrien didn't know that you took a photo of us."

"It shouldn't matter what Kagami feels about it, you could just say the photo was part of the #marinettechallange."

Marinette shook her head, "Kagami is also a friend of mine, so I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"And what about your feelings? You're always going beyond to support others for once, can you be selfish and do what makes you happy? ”

"If he's happy to be in a relationship with Kagami, then I'm going to be happy for him," Marinette said while she gave her a forced smile.

“But you don’t know if they are actually together, they could also just be friends,”

"They've been fond of each other for a while, and besides, I've seen them almost kiss, so they have to be together," Marinette said as she looked down at the ground sadly.

Alya sat next to Marinette as she put her arms around her, "When the field trip is too much for you, let me know, and I'll come to your rescue."

Marinette grinned as she embraced, "Thank you, Alya, I don't deserve a friend like you."

"This is what a friend is about."


	3. 3. Multimouse and Adrien

Marinette laid on her bed as she looked at the skylight, realizing it was past midnight, and in a couple of hours she'd have to get up and get ready for school. She couldn't help but think of her previous conversation with Alya, she knew what Alya had told her was right, she shouldn't concentrate on falling in love with Adrien, but being there as a friend.

After the Love Eater event, she realized that she'd spent all her time focusing on Adrien as a fan girl, that she wasn't really there as a true friend, and she didn't quite know him. No wonder Adrien was in love with Kagami, because she, unlike Marinette, was cool, sweet, intelligent, and strong; but to Adrien he only saw her to be shy, anxious, awkward and unable to communicate with him in full terms.

Seeing that she can't go back to sleep, she quietly got out of bed, and took the miraculous box out of the bottom of the bed. She could be transformed as a Ladybug to go out for a run, but for some reason she didn't feel like going out as a Ladybug.

“Marinette, why are you still up?” Marinette looked up and saw Tikki, who looked very tired, staring down at her curiously.

Marinette smiled, “Sorry Tikki, I couldn’t sleep and thought I would go for a run.”

“Okay, don’t stay out too long.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Marinette picked up the mouse miraculous, put it on her neck, and mullo came out to greet her.

“Mullo, Get Squeaky!”

……………

Adrien stared up at his ceiling in the silence, trying to get to sleep, but he couldn't erase the memory of Marinette's shocked and anxious face when Mrs. Bustier revealed that he would be partnering with Marinette on the field trip. It only proved that he probably did something to make Marinette not want to be with him, but he couldn't figure out precisely what he did to upset her as he looked back to that day.

Seeing he wasn't going to get any sleep, he got out of bed and went to his computer to type "Why is my female friend avoiding me? "After browsing through a couple of websites, the answer to the question caught his attention, _"If she had been hurt somehow, that could be the explanation. Often when they're hurt, people tend to disregard the person who actually caused the damage, to kind of "turn it in their faces" and make them forget. She's not expecting the qualities in you she was expecting. Pay more attention, take a lot of new places around her, spend a lot of time with them."_ After reading the response a few times, he was thinking back to the day and wondered whether Marinette was avoiding him, because he was more focused on Kagami than on her and maybe that is why she left when he ordered ice cream.

Until he thought any more, a loud bang from his windows disrupted the thought process, when he turned around, he saw Multimouse slammed on his window.

“Oh my gosh are you alright?” Adrien asked, looking worriedly at her.

"Yeah, I'm all right," Multimouse groaned as she rubbed her nose and jumped into his room.

When Adrien looked at her closely, he realized that Marinette was wearing the mouse miraculous which made no sense to him since Ladybug told him that Marinette could no longer be a superhero because her identity had been exposed to him as Chat Noir.

“Is there an akuma?” “What?” “It’s just I’ve never seen you before and Ladybug must give you the miraculous because there is an akuma,” said Adrien as he rubbed the back of his neck, hoping what he said sounds reasonable.

"Oh ... no ... because the identity of the other superheroes was exposed to Hawkmoth and the world, Ladybug found herself short-handed, and since my identity had not been exposed, she had trusted the miraculous to me and ask if I could patrol for a few nights."

"It makes sense, it's great that during this time she trusts you with the miraculous," Adrien said as he smiled at her.

“Yeah… it is,” she sputtered, glancing away.

Multimouse cleared her throat, "I'm so sorry if I woke you up," after standing there in an uncomfortable silence.

“No it’s fine, I was awake anyway.”

“Why are you awake at this time of night?” Multimouse asked.

Adrien shook his head, “It’s nothing important to worry about.”

"It must be important to keep you up late at night," Multimouse said. His eyes lit up as he was reminded that Marinette was actually standing in front of him, even though she didn't know that she knew her identity, maybe she could get a hint of why she'd been avoiding him.

“Can I ask you a question….” he trailed off remembering that no one knows Marinette’s super hero name. 

"The name is multi-mouse, but I will be happy to answer any questions you have," Multimouse replied as she sat on his couch.

“I have this friend...” said Adrien as he sat next to her. “She's a really awesome girl, she loves helping others, and I always see her as one of my best friends, but…” he trailed off.

“What’s wrong?”

Adrien sighs, "I don't know what's wrong! One day, we spent time together having a lot of fun, but after that day, she was avoiding me. I started wondering if I did or said something to offend her, but when I brought it up, she kept telling me that I didn't do anything to her, and that made me more frustrated. We also had another friend with us that day, too, and I wonder if I was so focused on that friend that she felt left out, and now she doesn't want to be my friend? ”

Marinette looked at him astonished, she couldn't really confirm it with his vague information, but she couldn't help but feel like he was talking about her. Guilt has now overcome her, she's been avoiding Adrien so she couldn't be hurt, but she didn't realize it was hurting him as well.

"Perhaps she's avoiding you because she doesn't want to get in the way,” she murmured.

“What do you mean?” “You said another friend was with you, maybe she thought something romantic was happening between you two and wanted to give you guys space.” “Wait… are you saying...she might think Kagami and I are a couple?” he blurted out looking so shock.

Multimouse looked at him with confusion, “I mean there could be other reasons, but tha was the first thing that popped out of my mind.”

Adrien shook his head, “Kagami is not my girlfriend.”

“What!” she barked.

“I want to like Kagami more than a friend, but I’m just not ready to be in a relationship… that sounds pathetic right?” said Adrien as he gave her a small smile.

"No! No! It's not pathetic at all, everyone has a pace of their own. It's better to be in a relationship when you feel it's right.

“Thank you for understanding Multimouse.”

“You’re welcome Adrien.”

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, “but still that doesn’t make any sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“Why would Marinette avoid me if she thinks I’m in a relationship with Kagami?” Adrien asked.

Her cheeks were pink when she jumped, "Maybe she didn't want to give Kagami the wrong idea if she saw you with another girl and also didn’t want to hurt her feelings. But it might also be possible for her to go through something and need her own space.

Adrien sighs, "If she's going through something, I wish she'd feel comfortable coming to me and not going through it on her own."

Multimouse shrugged, “Maybe she’s scared.”

“Why would she be scared?”

"Perhaps she's afraid of getting too close," she stared at him, blue eyes full of sadness and fear beneath her mask., and for a moment Adrien felt like all time had stopped. After a few minutes of silence, she gave him a powerful smile and got up from his couch,

"It's getting too late. I'm supposed to go and you, sir, should be in bed.

Adrien chuckled, “Don’t worry I will, thank you Multimouse for listening to my problem.”

“It’s no problem Adrien, but will it be alright if I give you a suggestion.”

Adrien nodded, “Sure.”

"Be patient with her. I'm sure she'll tell you everything when she's ready.”

“I really hope so Multimouse.”

"Trust me I'm never wrong. Good night, "she waved, jumping out of his window.

"Good night," as he grinned in the dim heavens.


	4. 4. Hand Touches

Hand Touches

"Oh, my gosh, I'm going to be late! "Marinette screeched as she scrambled around her room to gather any outfit she could wear.

"I'm sorry Marinette, I tried to wake you up," Tiki replied, looking at her apologetically.

Marinette picked up her phone to check the time and knew that she had exactly 10 minutes to get to school. She looked at the mirror, realized that she had no time to do her hair, and decided to put her hair up in a messy bun. 

“Marinette, you are going to be late!” her mother hollered from below.

"I'm ready to go! "Marinette shouted as she ran down the stairs and quickly gave her parents a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"We put enough for you to share with Adrien, here's your breakfast and lunch," her father said, as he gave her two boxes.

“Thank you Dad! I will see you after school,” said Marinette as she rushed out of the bakery and ran to school. 

Alya was already outside the school by the bus when she arrived and stared at Marinette as if she were ready to scold her.

“Where have you been? You’re lucky that the bus hasn’t left yet!” Alya exclaimed, pressing her glasses frantically. 

Marinette winces, "I'm sorry I accidentally overslept because I was having a hard time sleeping last night.."

Alya laughed as she wrapped her arm around Marinette's shoulder, "It's a good girl, Ms. Bustier is making us sit down with our field trip partners, so Adrien is there to save you a seat."

Marinette's heart began to pound, realizing that she'd be sitting next to Adrien for the whole bus ride. She immediately shook the thought out of her head, she wasn't supposed to be in love with Adrien right now, but she needs to focus on seeing him as a friend.

When they got in the bus, Alya sat right next to Nino, and when Marinette looked around, she saw Adrien sitting in the back of the bus by himself.

“Hey Adrien,” Marinette smiled as she sat next to him.

"Hey Marinette, I'm glad you could make it to the field trip," Adrien replied, taking the earbuds out of his ear.

Marinette laughed, "I'm sorry, I've been up all night and accidentally overslept."

“Yeah I know.”

“W-what?” Marinette exclaimed.

Adrien looked at her in a confused way, but thought back to what he had said and realized his mistake.

"What I mean is ... I assumed that you stayed up all night creating your design that caused you to oversleep," Adrien said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Marinette sighs with relief, “Yeah that’s what exactly happened.” 

Adrien’s eyes widened as he spotted the boxes that sat on her lap, “What is that?”

"Because I woke up late, Dad packed my breakfast and lunch, packed enough for us to share, would you like some? "Marinette asked Adrien, who shot her a huge smile, as she held the box out.

"Thank you Marinette," he said, taking the chocolate croissant out of the box. When he took only one bite, he felt like he was in heaven. Although he at home ate wonderful dishes from professional chefs, nothing could ever beat the Dupain-Cheng pastry.

“Oh wow this is delicious!” Adrien exclaimed as he took another bite.

Marinette giggled, as she took a bite, "I'm glad you like them, eat as many as you like."

Throughout the bus ride, both Adrien and Marinette spent their time eating and talking about whatever came to mind.

"Wait you are telling me that the heartthrob Adrien Agreste is the biggest nerd for Anime?" Marinette laughed as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Is it really surprising to you? When my mother introduced me to Sailor Moon as a kid, I thought it was the greatest thing out there.

“Oh I agree with you, when my cousins from China visit us all we ever do is watch Sailor Moon together.”

"What kind of anime have you been watching recently? Adrien asked he munch on a macaron. 

“I started watching the 2nd season of Tokyo Ghoul, I have to say I’m disappointed it’s not following the manga,” Marinette replied.

“Right! I mean the second season is good but I really wish they followed the manga.”

As their conversation continued, both of them reached for the macaron at the same time. Their hands touched and the heat rushed to both their cheeks.

“Sorry”

“I’m sorry,”

They reached for the second time, both of them looking at each other, but they were too distracted by each other's deep eyes.

Marinette looked down at the box and giggled, "No wonder our hands keep bumping, there's only one macaron left."

Adrien also looked down and saw the pink macaron in the box, "You're right. If you want, you can have it.”

Marinette shook her head, "I can eat them any time, you have it."

"What about we share? "Adrien suggested that he break the macaron in half and hand the other half to Marinette.

"Thank you, Adrien," Marinette smiled, biting her macaron.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. 5. Statue and Aspik

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys for not posting for a while, I honestly haven't had the motivation the past couple days.  
> In this chapter I had added the prompt Statue and Aspik into one.  
> Hope you enjoy

Sorry this is not a new chapter, after some thinking and conversation I wanted to make some changes on this chapter.

Will add a new chapter soon. Thank you

  1. Statue 6. Aspik



As the bus pulled up in front of the museum, Ms. Bustier got up from her seat and looked at her students, "Remember class you have to be on your best behavior, stay in the museum, and always be with your partner, is that understood? 

"Yes, Mrs. Bustier," answered the students.

When the students left the bus, Véronique came out of the museum to greet the class, "Welcome class to the Grévin Wax Museum, my name is Véronique, and I will be your guide on this trip. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have, and I would also ask you not to touch any waxes to avoid any damage.”

When Marinette entered the building, she looked at the place in aw, even though she had been here with her friends before, she never got to enjoy the wax figures, as she was so focused on how she would confess to Adrien that day which would end up being the most embarrassing day of her life.

“Marinette?”

Marinette snapped her mind and looked over at Adrien, who was giving her a worried look.

“I’m sorry Adrien, I was so distracted by the amazing wax figures...what did you say?”

Adrien chuckled,, "It's all right, I can't blame you, they really look real."

"Right, it's wonderful they can create something like this," Marinette said as she stood in front of Adrien's wax figure.

"I agree, you were convinced that I was a statue on our last visit."

He hoped that reminding her of their prank that day would make her laugh, but instead they were standing there in an awkward silence. When he turned to look at her to see what was wrong, she just gave him a fake smile, but her eyes looked at him with pain.

“Will it be alright if we don’t talk about that day?”

"Umm ... yeah, sure," Adrien seemed astonished at that, his brow furrowed with the obvious discomfort.

"Thank you," she said as she walked away, and Adrien slowly but steadily joined her.

The rest of their trip was awkwardly silent, and Adrien wasn't sure he wanted to say anything because he was afraid that anything that came out of his mouth would make her uncomfortable again. It's confirmed from their last conversation that she didn't want to talk about their last visit to the museum, and he wondered if she was still upset about the prank he had done to her.

_ Of course, she'd still be mad at you stupid, it was a horrible prank that you did to her. _

Which made no sense to Adrien, because when he apologized for going too far on the prank, she just laughed at him telling him that she knew it was a prank the whole time and she decided to go along with the prank. So there was no way she'd been mad at him, unless she was lying.

“Marinette.”

"Yes, Adrian? "Marinette replied as she turned to face him.

“I just want to apologize.” he mumbled.

“What?”

"It seems like you're still upset about the prank I did to you on our last visit, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings that day."

"No! No! "Suddenly, Marinette shrieked, waving her hands wildly.

Before Adrien could open his mouth to ask her what she meant, but she had beaten him to it.

"Adrien, trust me that day I'm not mad at you."

"You're not mad at me that day, huh? "Adrien asked, looking at her with doubt.

Marinette nodded, "The reason I don't want to talk about it is because I was embarrassed."

He stared at her for a brief moment, trying to make sense of her words, "But why would you feel embarrassed, you said that you knew all the time I was doing a prank."

Marinette turned away and started pacing in front of the statues, "The truth is, I didn't know that you pretended to be a statue and thought that you were actually one. That day, I was nervous, my friend suggested I just act out in front of the statues to get rid of my nerves, but in the end, I made a big fool in front of you.

"Oh, if it makes you feel any better, I thought you were a great actress," Adrien said as he smiled softly.

Marinette smiled back as she shook her head, "I think I want to stick to being a fashion designer."

"I understand, you're a very talented Marinette. If you want me, I'll be happy to show my father your designs.

“Thank you Adrien but you don’t have too, plus I know he is a busy man and I don’t want to disturb him.” 

"So I guess I'm going to have to snatch your sketchbook and show it to him without you knowing," he said, giving her his trademark Chat Noir smirk.

“But my designs are not that good!” Marinette explained.

Adrien exclaimed, "You're a super talented Marinette, you designed a Jagged stone album, and my dad picked your hat for the talent show. And you're telling me that your designs aren't great.”

She turned her face away hoping that she wouldn't see the red flush sweeping over her cheeks, "You're just ... you're just saying that."

"Marinette, I'm telling you the truth. I think you're the most amazing person, "he replied, putting his hand on her shoulder and gazing down at her softly with his bright green eyes. What felt like a few hours to Marinette, she gently cleared her throat and stepped away from his grasp.

“Shouldwecontinuetolookaround?”

“Sorry I didn’t catch that.”

Marinette giggled awkwardly, "Should we keep looking around? ”

Adriend shrugged, “Sure!”

They both managed to laugh and joke during their trip to the museum, but when they stepped into the room that kept the statues of the akumatized victims, everything became quiet and they both felt a cold sensation washing over them.

"Is it wrong to say that I dislike this section of the museum? "Marinette whispered as she stood in front of Lady Wi-fi's wax figure.

Adrien shook his head as he stood beside her, "I don't like it either. I can't believe they have a statue of Hawkmoth.”

"Alya told me that when she saw her wax figure as Lady Wifi, she felt sad because she felt like it made her look like a villain, and she shouldn't have felt like that, or anyone in this room. Everyone here is akumatized because they didn't have a choice and didn't know what they were doing.”

"I heard the rumors that they're going to get rid of all these wax figures for that reason," Adrien said, trying to make her feel comfortable.

Marinette sighs with relief, "That's a good thing. I hope that they will add a figure of Rena Rogue wax on behalf of Alya.

“Carapace for Nino.”

“And all the other heroes that deserve,” Marinette reminded him.

_ Not all of them,  _ Adrien thought, recalling the time when he was given the snake miraculous to help Ladybugto defeat Desperda, but in the end it winds up being a catastrophe, and the miraculous wasn’t a fit for him _.  _ As he looked back at Marinette, he wished she had the recognition that she assisted Ladybug as a MultiMouse, he felt it was unfair that she couldn't get the miraculous one again just because she revealed her identity in front of him, which didn't make much sense since Ladybug gave the horse Miraculous to Max right in front of him.

"Do you think they're going to add Queen Bee? "Adrien asked which caused Marinette to flinch.

"I don't know, she betrayed Ladybug and all the others. I don't think anyone in Paris will forgive her," Marinette answered, interacting with her hands.

“Would you have forgiven her?” Adrien asked softly.

Marinette shrugged her head, "If I was Ladybug, it's going to take a long time for me to win her trust, and she's going to have to work very hard."

“That’s true…”

There was silence again between the two, but instead of being uncomfortable,  it was more calming as they walked around.

  
  
  



	6. 6. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter takes place after Marinette visit Adrien

Multimouse landed on her balcony and dropped down into her room to safely de-transform.

“Welcome back,” Tikki greeted her

Marinette said nothing as she drifted back to her bed and gazed at the night sky.

"Did anything happen when she was on patrol? "Tikki whispered to Mullo.

"She just came back from Adrien’s house" Mullo responded, and went back to the miraculous box.

“You went to Adrien’s house!” Tikki yelled as she floated in front of Marinette.

Marinette raised her hands to cover her face and groaned in embarrassment, "It was an accident! I was so distracted when I was running, I crashed into his bedroom window.The next thing I know is that I sit on his couch and have a normal conversation with him.”

Tikki opened her mouth to scold her for being too close to Adrien while using the mouse miraculous, but when she looked at her holder's face, she felt it wasn't the right time to do so. Ever since the event after Love Eater she saw the change in Marinette, she had become quieter, more distant, and more depressed. The Miraculous box was now in the possession of her holder with less preparation, no instruction, and now she had to let go of the boy she loved, Tikki took a deep breath and realized right now that Marinette needed a friend to listen.

“So what did you talk about?” "Tikki asked while she was sitting on the bed, staring up at Marinette with curiosity.

Marinette shrugged, "I thought if I stayed away from Adrien, it would be the best thing for me, so I wouldn't get hurt as I watch him becoming close with Kagami, but I didn't know that being distant was affecting him as well. ”

“There’s more to this isn’t there?” Tikki asked as she placed her paws on Marinette’s lap hoping it will give her comfort.

Marinette nodded, “He told me he wasn’t dating Kagami.”

Tikki beamed as she floated up in front in Marinette’s face, “That’s good isn’t it! That means you can still be in love with him!” 

"That's the thing I don't want to be." Marinette exclaimed as she got down from her bed, took out a pink box from the bottom of the bunk, and pulled out a wrinkled Valentine's poem that Adrien had thrown into the trash.

“When I spoke to Adrien, I realized that I was a horrible friend, because I was so focused on sharing my feelings that I could never have a regular conversation with him or even know him. And I don't want to get hurt again,...How can I fall in love with someone who doesn't like me back?”

"You don't know for sure! The only way for you is to tell him the truth about how you feel about him.”

"He's not in love with me, Tikki, you didn't see the way he looked when he was about to kiss her.," Marinette whispered as she looked away, tears building up in her eyes.

Tikki sighs as she realized that trying to persuade Marinette that she had a chance to admit to Adrien that she was in love with him would be futile.

"If you don't want to fall in love with him, that's all right, Marinette, but right now Adrien needs a friend, and he really trusts you." Tikki replied as she looked at her holder with a soft smile.

Marinette groaned as she lay on the floor, "But how am I going to do that to Tikki? How can I talk to him normally without being a mess or keeping my heart from bursting when I'm next to him? ”

“You talked to him just fine tonight right?” 

Marinetted agreed, "But he didn't know he was talking to Marinette."

“So? You’ve talked to him normally before,” Tikki pointed out.

"Yeah, then the next day my tongue gets all twisted up when I talk to him," Marinette muttered as she got up and put the crumbling letter back in the box.

"Just concentrate on being a friend of his and things will come out naturally," Tikki responded as she nuzzled Marinette's cheek, causing her holder to giggle.

“Thank you Tikki, for being there for me.”


	7. 7. bracelet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the trip of the wax museum Adrien lose his lucky charm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I mixed up the prompt date of hair down and charm bracelet XD
> 
> Sorry for not posting for a while, I've just having the hardest time being motivated
> 
> Hope you enjoy

Adrien noticed that Marinette stopped avoiding him and talked to him more easily after a visit to the Wax museum. He was happy that his friendship with Marinette wasn't broken, but it didn't stop him from realizing how drained Marinette seemed to have been lately. She would go to class with a hot cup of coffee, her hair now in a ponytail, her eyes lined with dark circles. When he asked her why she had been late she would smile and reply that she was studying or drawing overnight, but for some reason, Adrien couldn't accept the excuse, but he thought it would be better not to pressure her.

When his Chinese tutor left for the day that Adrien lay on his bed as he kept scrolling through his Instagram account, as he was about to close the app, he got a notification saying Marinette had just posted something, he tapped the notification box, and there was a photo of her playing a guitar while Luka was sitting next to her.

**Marinettedesigned** _Starting guitar lessons today courtesy of Luka_

He looked closely at the photo and saw that it was the first time in a while that she smiled so peacefully as Luka looked at her with affection. He recalled the first time he saw them together at the ice-skating resort, they just looked so perfect with each other, and they seem to be getting really close these day. He was happy for Marinette, since she really deserves a caring and talented man like Luka.

_ If you are truly happy for them why would you feel the pit of your stomach? _

He shook his head in order to get rid of his worries and put his hand in his pocket to touch the charm bracelet for comfort. His eyes widened when he realized that both of his pockets were empty, which made no sense to him, as he was sure that it was the last place he put it in. 

"Where is it! "Adrien cried out as he started to empty his school bag and searched every side.

“What are you looking for?” Plagg asked as he ate his camembert cheese.

"The bracelet Marinette gave me, I was pretty sure I left it in my pocket," Adrien explained as he swung under the bed and started looking.

“Why are you so obsessed with it anyway? It’s just a bracelet.”

Adrien raised his head and glared at his kwamii, "It's important to me, because it was the first time I got something from a friend ... and every time I carry it around, I feel like it gives me the luck I need.”

Plagg frowned as he shook his head, "You humans still believe that non-magical things give you luck."

"I don’t care what you believe, I need to find the bracelet," Adrien said as he started to go through his closet. Plagg knew that calming down his holder was pointless and decided to go back to the table to finish the rest of the cheese.

After hours while Adrien was sitting on his bed in despair, all his clothes and stuff were all over his room, but it didn't matter to him since he had lost the one thing that was most precious to him, and he couldn't imagine how Marinette would feel once she found out. Before he could think any further he was startled by the sound of his door knocking.

“Come in! "Adrien replied and Nathalie went into his room with a bunch of clean clothes.

“Adrien I brought… what happened to your room!” Nathalie asked as she looked around his room in shock.

Adrien just grinned nervously at her, “Sorry Nathalie, I was looking for something.”

"I hope that's what you've been searching for," Nathalie sighs as she takes an object from her pocket.

“Oh my gosh Nathalie where did you find it?”Adrien asked as he removed the bracelet from her hand and checked carefully to ensure that nothing had been damaged.

"You left it in your previous pants pocket. Next time I'd suggest taking everything out of your pant pocket before being washed.”

"Thank you Nathalie so much! "Adrien exclaimed as he gave her the tightest hug.

Nathalie smiled to the boy softly and gave the embrace back, "Your welcome Adrien."


	8. 8. Hair Down and Sick Day

Marinette's phone went off as she groggily hit the "Dismiss" button to shut the alarm off. Lately, it was hard for her to get up from bed with only a few hours of sleep after finishing her homework, fighting akumas, and testing each miraculous to see what their powers were and unifying them. She could feel her eyes slowly closing after lying in complete silence and her exhaustion washed over, whereas she wished she could sleep throughout the day.

"Marinette, are you still here, huh? "The sound of her mother echoed from the kitchen through the trap door.

Marinette groaned realizing she needed to get up to get ready for school, but her body was too weak to get up, and all she could do was lie there motionless.

"Are you a waking sweetie? You're going to be late, "asked her mother as she climbed the ladder to her bed.

"I don't feel well," Marinette whispered as she pulled the covers up to her chin. Sabine looked down at her daughter to find that her skin was pale, how her eye circles were dark, and that her flushed cheeks were feverish.

"You have a fever," Sabine said quietly, her eyes filled with maternal concern, stroking her daughter's forehead.

“What about school?” 

Sabine shook her head, "I'm going to call the school to let them know that you're unable to attend today. Now, get some rest while I bring up your breakfast and medication."

As her mother left, Marinette closed her eyes and went into a deep sleep.

………………..

"Hey Adrien, did you hear anything from Marinette? "Alya asked as she was standing in front of Nino and Adrien's desk.

Adrien shook his head, “No, I haven’t.”

"She may be late again," said Nino, soothing Alya as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"You may be right," Alya responded with a small smile, and went back to take her seat.

As Ms. Bustier came into the classroom, all the students went back to their desk and sat down quietly.

“Morning class, I want to let you know that Marinette won’t be joining us today,” said Ms. Bustier. Her kind green eyes gazed fondly on her students.  "She's sick and she's going to be home all day. Is any of you willing to drop off Marinette's homework today after school? ”

Alya was about to raise her hand since she usually drops off Marinette's homework as she always disappears after going to the bathroom, but she was shocked to see that Adrien raised his hand immediately.

“I can do it Ms. Bustier,”

Mrs. Bustier smiled, "Thank you, Adrien, I'm going to send you copies of homework after class."

“Dude,” Nino whispered. “Do you have time to do that?”

"My Chinese lesson has been canceled suddenly today, so I'm going to have time to visit Marinette. Would you and Alya want to tag along as well? "Adrien whispered to me.

Before Nino could answer, he felt Alya's hand at the top of his mouth and looked up to see his girlfriend giving him a look to warn him not to utter a word.

"Sorry Adrien, Nino and I are supposed to take care of the twins and Chris, and I don't think it would be a good idea to risk them getting sick, but please let her know that we miss her and hope she gets better" Alya said as she gave him an apologetic look.

"It's all right, Alya, I'll make sure to pass the message to her."

……………..

Slowly, Marinette opened her eyes and stared out of the skylight at the blue sky. She sat up and gave out a groan as she stretched out her arms.

“Marinette, you’re awake!” came Tikki’s voice. 

“Tikki? What time is it?” Marinette asked as she rubbed her eyes. 

"It's 4:30 p.m., school is just over," Tikki answered as she hovered over Marinette's face.

"Oh no Tikki, that means I've missed a whole day of school," Marinette moaned as she covered her face in her hands.

"You were sick this morning, Marinette, you needed the rest," Tikki replied as she looked at her holder with a worried expression. “How are you feeling? ”

"Surprisingly, I feel a lot better," Marinette replied as she got out of bed and sat in front of her computer.

"I'm so glad you're feeling better. Please take care of yourself next time, your health is so important, Tikki replied as she nuzzled Marinette’s cheek. 

Marinette sighs, "I know Tikki, but it's so hard to handle all my assignments, commissions, and guardianship. Often I wish there were three of me here.”

Before Tikki could answer, she quickly hid when she heard the footsteps coming to Marinette's room. The trapdoor opened, and Sabine was standing there looking with concern at Marinette.

“How are you feeling sweetheart?”

"I feel a lot better, sorry to worry both you and Dad," Marinette answered as she hugged her mother.

"I'm just happy to hear that you feel fine. Someone in your class is here, by the way.”

“Really who?” Marinette asked.

“Adrien, he is here to drop off your homework.”

Marinette eyes widen, “Adrien is here?” She quickly got up and began pacing frantically around the house, "He can't see me like this. I look terrible! ”

"You look all right, sweetheart! Would you rather I tell him that you're too busy to see anyone right now? ”

Marinette shook her head, “No, you can bring him up.”

"Okay, I'm going to bring him up," Sabine said as she closed the door above her. Marinette immediately went to her mirror to look at her own reflection. Luckily, her skin was more colorful and her dark eye bags disappeared, but she noticed how messy her black hair looked. She took her hairbrush and quickly brushed all the unkempt hair, she thought of putting it in her signature pigtail, but as she could hear footsteps coming up, she decided against it.

“Wish me luck Tikki,” Marinette whispered

  
  



	9. 9. Pastries

After school, Adrien sprinted to the library, copied all his notes, and raced back to the bakery. Adrien stepped into the bakery and took a deep breath. He loved the smell of backed bread, cinnamon, and vanilla, and took a moment to savor the smell. Luckily, the bakery had just a few clients, and Sabine's face lit up when she saw Adrien standing in front of her.

“Good Afternoon Mrs. Cheng,” Adrien greeted her.

“Adrien, it’s so good to see you again! What can I do for you?”

He held up his stack of paper, "I heard that Marinette didn't feel well today, so I brought her homework and the notes of today's class."

"That's so sweet to you. Let me go check up on Marinette and see if she's up for visitors.” Sabine said as she went to the back of the bakery, “Tom, Adrien is here to visit Marinette. Do you mind watching the front for a bit?” 

Tom grinned as he put a batch of cookies in the oven, "I'm sure I can take it from here.”

Sabine turned to Adrien, "Wait here with Tom, I'm going to come back to let you know if she's awake."

As Sabine left the bakery to check on her daughter, Tom came out of the back of the bakery and started helping the customers on their orders.

“It’s good to see you Adrien, what brings you here?”

"I brought some few notes from the class and thought I could go over what Marinette missed," Adrien said, showing him the stack of paper he was still holding.

"Thank you, Adrien, she was freaking out earlier about missing class today. It means a lot that you are helping my little girl.

Adrien shrugged, "It's nothing, sir, Marinette is a wonderful friend, and I'm happy to help her."

"I can see why Marinette likes you," Tom whispers as he begins to place a couple of pastries on the plate.

“Did you say something Mr. Dupain?” Adrien asked.

As he laughed nervously, Tom shook his head, "It's nothing son,”

Before Adrien could respond, he saw that Ms. Cheng entered the bakery with a smirk on her face, "Marinette is awake, she's waiting for you in her room."

"Fantastic, will you take these up with you?" Tom asked, as he held out a tray stacked high with all sorts of pastries. As Adrien took it, he couldn't help but feel hungry looking at them. After gently making his way upstairs, he let himself go to their apartment. It was quiet, but the hatch of Marinette's bedroom was open. Still holding the tray and papers, Adrien went up the stairs to her room.

“Marinette?”

When there was no answer, he rose the next few steps until he could see inside. When he entered he saw Marinette sitting on her chaise and greeted him with a small smile, “Hey Adrien.”

“Hey Marinette, how are you feeling?”

“I feel much better after getting some rest,” Marinette responded.

"That's good to hear," Adrien said as he sat next to her and placed the pastry plaque in front of her, "Your dad asked me to bring this up for you."

Marinette groaned as she buried her face in her hands, "Oh no! I'm so sorry that he has asked you to do this.”

Adrien shook his head as he chuckled, "It's no problem at all, I'm glad to help. But I'm not going to lie, they all look so delicious!”

"Would you like to try some?" Marinette asked as she handed him a croissant.

"Are you sure of that? "Adrien asked, staring curiously at her.

Marinette giggles, "I'm sure besides there's no way I can eat all of this stuff."

  
  


“If you insist,” Adrien replied as he started to munch on the croissant that she handed to him, “Oh wow this tastes amazing!” 

“Thanks, I’m glad you like them.”

"Your welcome, oh, by the way my Chinese lesson was canceled today, if you want, we can go over today's lesson while we're eating," Adrien suggested.

Marinette seemed to think about it for a moment before she nodded. “I'd like that.”

…………………..

Adrien and Marinette were sitting on her bed as they went through today's lesson and homework. As Adrien helped her with her chemistry homework, Marinette couldn't but think about how amazing teacher Adrien would be.

“Marinette, are you alright?”

She looked up at him with confusion, “Sorry what?”

"You look like you're out of focus, I can leave so you can get some rest," Adrien said as he started to get out of bed, but before he could climb down the ladder Marinette quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down to the bed, “NO!”

Her eyes widened as she realized she just yelled at him, “I mean you don’t have to leave, I was just thinking how an amazing teacher you are.”

“Really?”

Marinette nodded, "I’m actually bad with chemistry, but you describe it so well, I think I understand the topic a little more, thanks to you!" Marinette smiled brightly.

"I'm happy to hear that Marinette," he said, moving some of her hair out of her face, "You should put your hair down, you really look pretty."

Marinette's face heated up and started to panic, because she couldn't believe that Adrien had just told her she looked pretty.

She turned her face away hoping that he wouldn't see the red flush sweeping over her cheeks, “Thanks your pretty too.”

"You think I'm pretty, then? "Adrien grinned as he moved closer to her.

“NO! I mean not that I’m saying your ugly because you are not, but you are good to look at,” Marinette began to stutter. 

There were several moments of silence, but Adrien couldn't hang on to his laughter no matter how hard he tried.

"Ugh, just bury me in a hole," Marinette groaned as she laid on her bed.

"I'm so sorry Marinette, but I swear I'm not laughing at you," laughed Adrien, brushing his tears away.

"Stop laughing, then! "Marinette replied as she kicked his leg with her foot.

His hands raised to give up, "Okay, all right, I'm done laughing."

Marinette suspiciously stared at him, "You're not going to let this go aren’t you?”

Adrien shook his head, “How can I when you admit I’m good looking.”

"Adrien, in Paris everyone thinks you are good looking,” Marinette exclaimed.

Before Adrien could tease her anymore he felt his phone vibrating. He took his phone out of pocket and saw that Natalie had sent him a message to come home.

“What’s wrong?” Marinette asked as he saw his smile drop when he opened his phone.

"It's Nathalie," Adrien responded, "She said it’s time for me to come home." He put his phone back in his pocket.

“Oh.”

“I know I had a fun time hanging out with you Marinette.”

“Me too.”

"Tomorrow I don't have anything scheduled, we can play some video games if you feel better."

A warm smile and a bright blush softened Marinette's face, “I would like that.”

“Well then see you tomorrow,” he waved goodbye to her before closing the trap door behind him.

“Goodbye Adrien,” Marinette whispered.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. 10. Video Games and Piano Lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Adrinette April is over, but the past week has been super busy with finals. I'll still continue with the prompt fic but I will take my time on it.

Video Games and Piano lesson

The uneasiness between the two has faded after Adrien visited Marinette, when she was ill. She stopped being anxious and tongue-tight around him and started to approach him more openly as a friend, asking him to spend time together which was a delight for Adrien. After school Adrien had been notified by Nathalie that his photographer had been ill, his photo shoot had been canceled, so he decided to go to Marinette's place to play video games.

“Adrien, a little help here!”

Adrien looked up at the screen and saw that Marinette was fighting hard in the game to battle the enemy, he shook his head to concentrate and started supporting Marinette's character, “Sorry, I’m on my way.” 

“I see you, I’ll keep him distracted and you shoot him from the back,” Marinette ordered.

“Yes , ma’am!” Adrien couldn't help but smile every time Marinette gave him an order while playing the game, it made me feel like he was fighting akuma with his ladybug. After spending more time with Marinette, he began to see the similarities between Marinette and Ladybug, both of them caring, smart, and have great leadership.

"Yes, we won! "Marinette cheered, giving Adrien a high five.

“Wow, you were an amazing Marinette. I think you would have been fine without me.”

Marinette frowned, "You're kidding? Without your help, I wouldn't have been killed immediately. We're a team, don't forget that.”

Adrien chuckled, “You’re right Marinette, we actually make a great team. Do you want to go for another round?

Before Marinette could respond, Adrien's ring tone was interrupted. When Adrien took his phone out of his pocket, his smile dropped immediately.

"Do you have to go? "Marinette asked while she was putting her controller down.

Adrien nodded, "I have to go home and practice the piano."

"That sucks, I wish we could hang out longer," Marinette replied.

"We could do that. If you don't mind watching me practice, "Adrien asked as he gave her his infamous sad kitty look, hoping that she would agree to join him.

Marinette laughed, “I don’t mind at all, you sure your father or Natalie won’t mind?”

Adrien shrugged, "I'm not sure, but it wouldn't hurt to ask." He rapidly sent a message back to Natalie asking if Marinette could join him in his piano practice. After 10 minutes, he received a message stating that Marinette is welcome to stay as long as he focuses on his practice.When Adrien and Marinette left the bakery, they saw Adrien's bodyguard waiting for them in the car, and they both stepped into the car.

"Your father doesn't trust you to walk around? "Marinette whispered to Adrien's ear, not wishing to offend his bodyguard for driving them.

Adrien shook his head, “You know how protective my father is.”

Marinette sighs, "I know, but your house is literally less than five minutes away from my house.It’s not like someone is hiding in the corner to kidnap you."

Adrien chuckled, “You will be surprised what my fans can do.”

"I really don't want to know," Marinette groaned as she rolled her eyes. Remembering the time when she and Adrien were chased by fans all over Paris, “I don’t know how you can handle that all the time, I would get paranoid.”

"Well, you'd better get used to it when you become a famous fashion designer," Adrien told her, causing her to blush a little.

Once the car was pulling up, they saw Natalie standing at the front of the house, "Adrien, your father asked you to practice one hour without interruption, and once you have finished, Marinette will have to leave so that you can focus on your Chinese lesson."

"Can't Marinette stay a little longer after practice? "Adrien asked, and gave her a pleading look.

Natalie sighs, "Marinette can stay until your tutor has arrived."

"Thank you Natalie." Adrien grabs Marinette's hands, and both of them run to his room.

"I keep forgetting how wonderful your room is," Marinette said as she walked around the room in awe. She has been in Adrien's room a couple of times, the last time she was Multimous, but she realized she never had to take a closer look at his room, “So where is the piano?”

"I'll show you," Adrien replied as he picked up the basketball from the ground and threw it to the basket. When the ball passed through the basket, the ground opened, and the piano was raised.

"Okay, that was super cool," Marinette exclaimed as she walked toward the piano and began to examine it.

"It just gives the room more space," he said, gently holding her hand and leading her to the piano bench. They were both sitting down, but because the bench was too small, her leg was pressed against him. Marinette looked up at him with a nervous smile, "Sorry, would you rather I sit somewhere else? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“No, this is fine. It's actually more comforting.”

Before Marinette could ask what he meant, Adrien gently placed his hands on the piano keys and began to play. Marinette closed her eyes and began to feel the music as it was habit she developed when she started spending time with Luka.

“That was beautiful,” said Marinette when Adrien was done playing the song.

“I’m glad you like it, I can tell you were into it.”

Marinette grinned, "Since I've been hanging out with Luka, I've started enjoying music a little more."

Adrien turned his face hoping that Marinette did not notice that his facial expression had changed, he knew that Marinette and Luka were particularly close, but every time Marinette brought Luka up, it made Adrien feel envious of their relationship.

“Do you know how to play?” Adrien asked, wanting to change the subject.

“I actually learned to play the piano when I was a little kid.”

“Really! I didn’t know that! Why did you stopped”

She shrugged, "I took art classes at the same time, and my parents noticed that I enjoyed it more than the piano."

"That's awesome, your parents let you do that, I wish my father would let me choose," Adrien replied, looking down at the keys to the piano.

Marinette looked at the boy next to her with concern and gently placed her hand on top of his, “If you get to choose, what would you like to learn?”

He finally met her eyes. "Since I've been watching anime, I've always wanted to learn Japanese, and I wouldn't mind still doing fencing. Don’t get me wrong I love playing the piano but I want to play what I want."

“What songs do you like to play?”

“Do you promise not to laugh?” Adrien asked her nervously.

“I promise I won’t.”

“I really love playing studio ghibli and disney songs. Childish isn’t?” 

Marinette shakes her head, "They're all wonderful songs, you shouldn't feel embarrassed."

"Thanks Marinette," Adrien looked up at the clock, and noticed that it was still ten minutes before Natalie came in. "We've still got a few minutes, I can teach you how to play." said Adrien as he got up from the seat and stood behind her. He placed his fingers on the keys to one arm on either side of her. "Put your hands on the top of my hand."

“Are you sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

"I'll face the risk," looking down at her and getting closer. Marinette giggled and softly put her hands on top of his. She watched absolutely entranced as their fingers started to dance over the keys. A beautiful melody rang all over the room, and she realized he was playing a song from "Howl's Moving Castle".  As they continued to play, she let her head rest on his chest, totally lost in the music they were performing. They stayed in their place until the last note had muted. None of them wanted to move because they felt comfortable and relaxed, but after a few minutes, Adrien pulled away and went back to sit next to her.

"I think you would have been a great piano player," he whispered, causing Marinette's heart to race.

"What are you talking about, you did all the work. Besides, I prefer to listen to the music."

Adrien chuckled, “I can’t blame you for that.”

Without a knock, his bedroom door opened which led them both to turn around to see Nathalie standing before them.

"Adrien, your Chinese tutor is here, and I'm afraid I'm going to ask Marinette to leave,” said Nathalie as she glanced down at the two teenagers. “I'll give you two a couple minutes to say your farewell.” Nathalie gave them a quick nod and quietly walked out of the room.

“I had a lot of fun Marinette, thanks for keeping me company,” Adrien spoked as he got up from the bench and offered his hand. 

Marinette placed her hand on top of his and got up from the piano bench, “You’re welcome it was a lot of fun.”

“I will see you tomorrow at school?”

She looked down shyly as she moved her stray hair behind her ears. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she walked out of his room.

“Looks like someone has a girlfriend!” Plagg snickered as he flew out from his hiding spot.

Adrien groaned, “How many times do I have to tell you Plagg? Marinette is just a friend.” 

"You keep saying that, but we both know deep down that's not the case," Plagg rolled his eyes.

“Oh shut up,” said Adrien as he tossed a piece of Camembert to his kwamii and started preparing for his Chinese lesson. 

  
  
  



	11. 11. Scarf Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking a while, I just haven't had an motivation to write.  
> I will be attending Uni during the summer so I might not have the time to write as much.  
> I will try to post a new chapter at lease once a week

At the blazing alarm from his phone, Adrien's eyes fluttered open. He rubbed his eyes slowly and woke up, reaching out his phone to hit the dismiss button.. He shuddered, as he saw how windy it was outside when he looked out his window. He grinned as he realized that he could wear his favorite blue scarf that his father had given him on his birthday. He ran quickly to his closet, tossing his blue jeans, his t-shirt, and his white jacket. He reached the top drawer, took out the blue scarf, and beamed at it before wrapping it around his neck.

When he was all dressed up and looked presentable, he went downstairs and was shocked to see his dad eat breakfast in the dining room.

"Good Morning father," Adrien said as he took his seat. He was a little disappointed that his father had always preferred to sit apart from him, but it's been a long time since the two of them had breakfast together which was a start.

"Good morning Adrian, I hope you slept well," Gabriel responded without looking away from his tablet.

“Yes, I did.”

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two as they ate their breakfast, Adrien's sign of frustration that he knew that his father was not an open person, but he wished he would try to have at least a little conversation with him.

“What is it you’re wearing?”

Adrien looked up to see his father looking at his blue scarf that was wrapped around his neck.

“This was your birthday gift to me last year.”

"Let me see," Gabriel requested as he set his tablet on the table. Nathalie steps in the direction of Adrien, and holds her hand out for Adrien to put the scarf. When he did, Nathalie walked back to Gabriel and gave him a blue scarf.

"I don't remember giving you this," said Gabriel, examining the scarf very closely. He had to admit that whoever made the scarf was very creative, special, and spent a lot of time on it. No matter how many times he studied the scarf, he did not recognize who or which brand would have made this type of scarf.

Adrien stared at his father in surprise, "But Nathalie told me this was a birthday present from you."

Gabriel looked at his assistant, who was nervously standing next to him, and he remembered that he had made a last minute request to find a gift for Adrien on his birthday last year. He thought that she would have given his son the same pen he's always given him, but it seems like there was a story behind this case.

“Nathalie, would you like to explain what is going on?”

Nathalie sighs, "I apologize Mr. Agreste because of the akuma attack on the day I didn't have time to find a gift for Adrien. One of his friends stopped by to give his gift to him, but I didn’t want to disappoint Adrien so I decided to use that gift to claim it was from you."

Adrien washed away with a surge of emotion, he was first overwhelmed by the whole thing,  but also saddened to find out that his father had not given him the special scarf. Then the knowledge that on his birthday one of his friends gave him a deep feeling of gratitude.

“Nathalie, do you know which of my friends dropped the gift off?”

Nathalie nodded, “It was your friend Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Adrien shouldn't have been shocked to know that Marinette was the one to make the scarf as she was super talented, but looking back at the time that Marinette and him weren't that close, but to learn that the scarf for his birthday was made by her warmed his heart.

"That girl always surprises me with her talents," Gabriel said as he handed the scarf back to Nathalie.

"She's sure is father, you should see all her designs. I can't wait to pose for her one day, "Adrien said with a big smile.

Gabriel raised a brow, “I noticed you and Marinette have been closer lately. Is there something you would like to tell me?”

Adrien looked at his father with confusion, “No, we are just close friends that’s all.”

“I see, in that case I need to head back to work and you need to go to school,” said Gabriel as he got up from his seat and started to head to his office. 

"Yes , sir." Adrien got up from his seat and took his school bag from the ground.

"Oh Adrien, please pass on my compliment to Marinette," Gabriel said as he closed the door behind him.

When Adrien got to school, he stood in front hoping he could catch Marinette before the class began. He knew that Marinette would usually be late to school, but he did text her after breakfast if she could meet to talk privately. As more students started to arrive, Adrien began to think about having to speak to Marinette after lunch, but when he looked up, he saw Marinette running towards him.

"I'm so sorry for being late! I didn't see your text until five minutes ago!" Marinette bends down to catch her breath.

Adrien shook his head, “No you are totally fine, you came just in time.”

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

"Can we go somewhere a little more private, actually?”

“Ummm...sure…” Marinette replied looking at him suspiciously.

Adrien and Marinette went to the school and headed for the art room. He closed the door behind them when he realized there was nobody else in the room.

"Marinette, I want to ask you a question, but you have to promise an answer honestly."

Marinette began to look at him in panic, and a million questions began to pop up,  _ did she do something wrong? Did he ever find out that she used to have a massive crush on him? Did he no longer want to be a friend of hers? _

Because of her panic phase, she had not seen Adrien take out the blue scarf she had made for him out of his backpack, “Marinette did you make this scarf?”

“What are you talking about? Isn’t this the same scarf your father gave you?” Marinette replied while giving him a fake smile.

“Please don’t lie to me Marinette, Nathalie told me this morning that you were the one that dropped off the gift not my father.” 

Marinette's eyes were widening.  _ He’s disappointed that the scarf had come from me, not his father _ , she thought.

"I'm sorry, I understand if you don't like it any more," Marinette said, holding out her hand getting ready for the scarf to be placed there.

“What are you talking about? Why wouldn’t I like it?” Adrien asked in bewilderment. 

Marinette looked up at him with confusion, “You’re not upset that the scarf was from me?”

"Marinette, why would I? Knowing that you were the one who made the scarf makes it more special.”

Hearing those words made her blush, "Thank you, Adrien."

"But I still want to know why you didn't tell me that it was actually from you.” 

Marinette fidgeted slightly  "I wanted to tell you, but when I saw how happy you were when you thought it was from your dad, I just couldn't take that joy from you. It didn't bother me at all that you didn't know it was from me, because as long as you were happy, that's what matters to me."

When she looked up at him, she saw that he was starting to tear up, holding the scarf close to his chest, "Marinette ... thank you ... I will cherish this gift forever.

“Your welcome Adrien.”

  
  



End file.
